I can’t believe that my trip is almost over! This past weekend we visited a town called Tequisquipan and it was awesome. We were able to visit a winery and tour it and wine taste and then after go to a big water park. We had so much fun – felt like vacation to be able to swim and be in the sun. I noticed a strong cultural difference at the water park here than in  the United States, there were no lifeguards or anyone watching out at the big slides. But no one was hurt and everything went smoothly, it kind of made me wonder if we go a little too overboard in the United States.

My 3rd week here and I am becoming more and more comfortable here. My host family is very kind and super helpful whenever I need to figure out directions or something of the like. It’s crazy how busy school makes me! Having an extra night class 3 days a week makes me feel like I am at school all day long. Sometimes I wish I had more time to explore. This weekend was awesome though, it was really cool to stay in Queretaro and look around more. It is insane how frequent and intense the storms are here. Thunder, lightning, and rain appear out of nowhere and the streets flood very fast. I thought we saw bad rain in Oregon but it doesn’t compare at all to the storms here. I would say my only complaint is that the food here does not agree with my stomach as much as I love it! Hopefully it will get better soon!

This week has been so much fun! It was a little rough at the beginning of the week trying to figure out my  housing changes but now I am so much more comfortable in the place that I am in. This week we already had our first midterms – crazy doing a full load of classes in only 5 weeks. After tests were done this week we had a weekend excursion to Mexico City which was absolutely amazing. We left on Friday morning and saw 3 museums and then were able to explore a bit. I loved seeing the Frida Kahlo museum – something I have always been interested in. Saturday went the same way and then today we went and saw pyramids and it was so beautiful. We were able to climb to the top of tallest one and it had an amazing view. Excited for what the next week has in store. 

What a whirlwind of a week! So far I have really loved my classes. Coming early with the other Western students was so worth it because we were able to get a feel for the city before classes started. This past Sunday we met our host families for the first time. Mine ended up not working out so I am currently being relocated. Which is for the better! Between getting lost on my way to school and getting sick from the difference in food, it has been crazy. But so, so worth it. Each night we have been out exploring the town which has been really awesome. I am so glad that our group has a really good, strong dynamic. Classes are difficult but my ability to converse in Spanish is already improving remarkably. It is crazy to switch your whole brain around to a different language. Writing back to home in English actually takes some effort. I am looking forward to meeting my new host family and being a little more settled in. 

We flew into a smaller airport so we were first in line at customs which was a welcome surprise to me. I was ready to answer any question that came my way but completely failed when I actually got up to the customs person. I didn’t fill out my customs form correctly and did not understand that in the least when he tried to tell me – embarrassing. Despite the fact that I had to get my luggage checked by a guard, they were both very nice trying to learn why we were here. We took about a 45 minute cab ride to the hotel and we were ready to take a nap! The drive there was incredible though, it was so interesting how vastly different it was in some places and how other places reminded me of Oregon. The city we are in has cobble stone roads and is lined with unique, traditional style buildings. It very much reminds me of Venice, Italy. 

I am a little late doing this but remember the feelings well! I think that it didn’t really hit me that I was going to be living in Mexico for over a month until I was sitting in the airport with my mom waiting to fly out. I was less nervous about everything because the Western group had the chance to go early and explore a little bit before students from the other schools came. Knowing that I had a readjustment period ahead of me was extremely comforting. I was always just concerned that my Spanish wouldn’t suffice with this new family that I was going to be living with. Despite all of the nerves I couldn’t be more excited for this adventure though!